Khot, Zhang share ideas at CIGR Next Leaders Program

Lav Khot, assistant professor in the Department of Biological Systems Engineering and faculty member at WSU’s Center for Precision and Automated Agricultural Systems, and Qin Zhang, director of CPAAS, joined colleagues from around the world at the International Commission of Agricultural and Biosystems Engineering (CIGR) Next Leaders Program, Nov. 5-11 in Germany and France.

Participating scientists shared their research activities, visited agricultural machinery manufacturers, took part in the Landtechnik International Conference on Agricultural Engineering, Nov. 8-9 in Hannover, Germany, and attended the 2019 Agritechnica machinery show, also in Hannover. On the sidelines of this trip, both also visited Leibniz Institute of Agricultural Engineering and Bio-economy at Potsdam to share WSU CPAAS research efforts and explore collaborations in niche areas related to precision horticultural engineering.

Three other participants had WSU connections: Former CPAAS postdoctoral researchers Yiannis Ampatzidis, now an assistant professor at the University of Florida, and Xiaogiang Du, now professor at Zhejiang Science & Technology University in China; as well as Du Chen, an associate professor at China Agricultural University and former jointly trained Ph.D. student at WSU.

Director Zhang is a CIGR Honorary Vice President and co-leader of the Next Leaders Program. Now in its fifth class, the program was created in 2009 to help mid-career agricultural mechanization experts from different part of the world interact and share ideas, and develop future leaders in the field. Participants are nominated by their national organization, then selected by a program committee based on achievements and leadership potential, while maintaining geographic diversity.

Learn more about CIGR here.

Group photo of scientists at show with tractors in background
Scientists take part in the Agritechnica show at Hannover, Germany, as part of a CIGR visit.
Trio posed at ATB building entrance.
Lav Khot and QIn Zhang with M. Zude-Sasse, scientist at the Leibniz Institute of Agricultural Engineering and Bio-economy at Potsdam.
Group photo in laboratory.
WSU scientists visit with a group of researchers at the Leibniz Institute of Agricultural Engineering and Bio-economy.